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FAQs - Solid State Drives

Why SSD?

SSDs, or Solid-State Drives, do not come with moving parts giving the ability to operate silently and be more reliable. SSDs provide a significant performance increase versus the traditional HDDs. Since the SSD uses flash chips, the time needed to locate the data is virtually eliminated as data is written evenly throughout the flash chip.

Why PNY SSD?

PNY has been making PC components for over 30 years. With our new focus on SSDs, we strive to make the highest quality products available. We are committed in helping create and maintain US jobs by manufacturing our drives here in the USA.

What are the types of SSDs PNY has?

Our SSDs are split into three categories: Consumer, Client, and Enterprise. As you move from Consumer to Enterprise, a higher endurance NAND that is required for the specific applications is introduced, as well as additional features. Although each category serves a different purpose, they all get the same attention to detail and quality you expect from PNY.

Can I use the SSDs in a RAID array?

Yes. Any of the SSDs can be used in a RAID array, but only certain drives run through RAID testing and should be used in a RAID array. Please contact PNY Tech Support for more information and assistance in determining the best PNY SSD to use for your workload.

Do I need any special drivers?

No, PNY SSDs operate with standard drivers making it easy to plug into and work on most major operating systems, such as Windows and MacOS.

Can I clone my hard drive onto the SSD?

Yes this can be done with proper cloning software. Various software tools are publicly available on the internet to help you with the cloning process.

What operating systems are supported?

Each PNY SSD supports a wide range of operating systems unique to the target application. For more information, check the particular drive’s product brochure.

Can I use the SSD in a desktop/laptop?

PNY SSDs are designed to be compatible with many of the leading manufacturers and tested across numerous configuration options. If you are experiencing any difficulty, please contact PNY Tech Support to assist you.

My SSD is not detected, what do I do?

First, you want to make sure you have the latest UEFI/BIOS for your motherboard. If using a desktop, try another SATA port. If the UEFI/BIOS has the AHCI option, try disabling to see if it helps. If none of these work, contact PNY Tech Support who will do their best to assist you.

How do I upgrade firmware?

Do SSDs require defragging?

No, it is not necessary or recommended to defrag an SSD. Since there are no physical disks, there is not need to organize the data in order to reduce seek time. SSDs have TRIM, which serves the same basic function to make your drive faster without subjecting the drive to the extra workload. Defragging an SSD will put undue wear and tear on the drive and may actually shorten its life.

Why is my SSD not as fast as it used to be?

As you fill up your SSD, its controller has to find or create free space in order to move data around for you to write more. This function is known as Garbage Collection. PNY SSDs work to optimize the Garbage Collection process to minimize the performance impact.

Why are the lower capacities slower than the larger ones?

If an SSD has a lower capacity, the controller will be unable to write to multiple locations at once. This is because SSDs with a lower capacity have fewer or smaller capacity NAND. To a certain extent, the faster the SSD the more operations it can do at once.

I only have SATA I or II ports on my computer, will my SSD work?

Yes, all PNY SSDs are compatible with SATA I or SATA II. However, the previous generation of SATA ports will not be as fast as the current generation.

What is OP?

OP, or Over Provisioning, is the reserved space where the controller does its work. A higher OP drive has a higher performance and endurance, but comes at the cost of capacity. PNY’s Consumer and Client drives offer a balance between performance, endurance, and capacity with a 7% OP.

What is Wear Leveling?

Wear leveling is a function of the SSD that is designed to extend the life of the NAND. If you use the same part of the SSD all the time, the NAND begins to wear out at a faster rate than normal. PNY implements wear leveling processes to spread out writes to NAND. This implementation helps avoid “hot spots” and makes sure the SSD lasts as long as possible.

What is ECC?

ECC stands for Error-Correcting Code. When data is interpreted by an SSD, there is the potential of being incorrect. PNY's SSDs have ECC to ensure that the data being interpreted is the same data that was inputted into the drive.

What is Secure Erase?

There are two levels of Secure Erase: standard and enhanced. Standard Secure Erase will delete the map of the SSDs controller. Although the data will still exist on the NAND, the controller will see no data. Enhanced is the most secure version of secure erase by writing random bits to the entire drive multiple times. This ensures that none of the data will be salvageable. Performing a Secure Erase on your drive is destructive and should be used cautiously because it will make it extremely difficult to nearly impossible to read the data on the drive.

What is MLC?

MLC, or Multi-level Cell, refers to the type of NAND used on an SSD. SSDs were initially made with Single-level Cell (SLC) NAND. Although SLC was extremely fast and durable, it was very expensive. As technology matured, NAND manufactures were able to store more bits of data in the same amount of space, known as Multi-Level Cell. MLC sacrifices a small amount of performance and endurance, while increasing capacity and lowering cost-per-Gigabyte.